Mr. Speaker, the member really blindsided me with that one but I will see if I can respond.
Ireland is the best possible example. We will be welcoming a new ambassador from Ireland tomorrow and I look forward to that. Ireland has now surpassed Canada in terms of its standard of living. Why is that? Is it because it is blessed with all kinds of natural resources? Hardly. It is because Ireland got its public policy decisions right. It lowered all kinds of taxes and in doing that attracted all kinds of investment to the point where Ireland now has free university education for its people.
I love the example of the United States because so many members across the way hate the example. Today the United States spends more money on social programs per person than we do in Canada. Why? The U.S. spends more on health care. Why? The U.S. does that because it has an expanded tax base because the U.S. was enlightened enough to lower taxes to the point where it would create additional activity in the economy. The U.S. can now fund social programs, and the military as a matter of fact, to a much greater degree. The Americans were thinking when they did that and understood some fundamentals that this government cannot get straight.